New Delhi: IKEA has expanded into North India with the launch of its first Customer Distribution Centre (CDC) in Gurugram.
The 180,000-square-foot facility, with a storage capacity of 12,000m3, was developed by and, will operate in partnership with global logistics service provider Rhenus. It will augment e-commerce and support fast delivery of over 6,500 IKEA products.
Located in Farrukh Nagar, about 35 km from Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi, the new facility is designed to ensure efficient storage, order processing, and last-mile delivery across Delhi-NCR.
The CDC is expected to help IKEA fulfil most orders within 24 hours, significantly improving customer experience. The company has plans to further extend its services to other northern markets in future.
“We’re so close to bringing the full IKEA online experience to you,” said Saiba Suri, Country Customer Fulfilment Manager, IKEA India.
As part of IKEA’s commitment to sustainability, deliveries from the new facility will be made using an electric vehicle (EV) fleet, reducing the company’s carbon footprint. “Your orders, will be delivered by our EV (Electric vehicles) fleet to your door.” Suri added.
The CDC is integrated with the Rhenus Warehouse Management System (WMS) that enables transactions efficiently through smooth electronic data interchange (EDI). This ensures better inventory management and reduces complexities in last-mile delivery, according to a report in Hindustan Times.
IKEA has been sourcing from India for over 30 years for its global stores. In India, it currently has 50 suppliers with 45,000 direct employees and 400,000 people in the extended supply chain. With this project IKEA had claimed job creation of 800 direct co-workers, of whom 50% will be women, besides indirect employment to 1,500 people for services in each store.
The opening of the Gurugram CDC is a major milestone in IKEA’s expansion strategy in India, bringing the brand closer to customers and enhancing its ability to meet growing demand in the region.
Preeti Thakur is an intern with ThePrint.
(Edited by Sudha V)
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